Wire drawing



Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE- DRAWING Application July 15, 1936, Serial No. 90,650

7 Claims.

This invention relates to wire drawing, and aims to provide means for handling and working the wire emerging from the dies and capstans of the machine, after said wire has been reduced to substantially the desired diameter, whereby said wire is further conditioned, polished, and worked upon to efiect an extremely accurate product of exceptionally high quality, while at the same time providing a spooling means which will not destroy the results of said finishing of the wire but will preserve the product in excellent condition for future use.

This is accomplished, according to the present invention, by interposing a wire-reducing and polishing die between the traversing pulley of the spooling means and the spool or bobbin upon which the wire is wound, and by providing 'an improved type of spooling mechanism having a bobbin of relatively large diameter.

It has been the practice in wire drawing, prior to the present invention, to pass the wire emerging from the dies and capstans of the machine over a series of pulleys-and over a traversing pulley of the wire-spooling mechanism, onto the rotating bobbin of said mechanism, which bobbin holds the drawn wire in readiness for future use. By one prior arrangement the wire, after being drawn through a last die of the machine, was passed around a capstan several times, through a stufflng box, and over a series of pulleys before it was finally wound on the bobbin. In passing over the capstan immediately following the last die of the machine, the wire was marred, scratched and otherwise deformed due to slippage of the wire on the capstan. In addition, the wire was bent and further marred in passing over the pulleys beyond the capstan, before being finally wound on the bobbin. This handling and deforming of the wire, after it passed through the last die of the machine, materially affected the quality of the product, and resulted in impairment of the polish thereof imparted by the last die, and also alterations in cross-sectional form and area. Even though the wire, 45 after it passed through the last die, was perfect in form and polish, yet, when it reached the spool, both the polish and form were materially impaired and altered. This seriously affected subsequent operations to which the wire was sub- 50 jected, such as enameling and other insulating processes, and also caused trouble to occur when the wire was employed for certain uses.

The present invention, however, provides for reconditioning the wire after it has passed over 55 both the last capstan and the pulleys beyond said capstan, by further passing the wire through a final drawing and polishing die directly before the wire is spooied on the bobbin. I have found that said bobbin can easily draw the wire through such a final drawing and polishing die, and that the wire as delivered to the bobbin is therefore highly polished and accurately drawn to the desired diameter, and also that the wire will not have its polish and form materially impaired and altered when on the bobbin, and may be unwound therefrom and used wherever a high quality and precision product is required In one illustrated embodiment of the invention the slide, which carries the traversing pulley for the bobbin, fixedly carries a final die in such I manner that the wire may readily pass therethrough from the traversing pulley directly to the bobbin.

In another illustrated embodiment of the invention the slide carrying the traversing pulley m is provided with a die mounted thereon for arcuate movement during passage of the wire from the pulley directly to the spool.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view, partially-in section, of a machine embodying one form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine of Fig- 80 ure 1, the base being shown in section, and a casing face-plate being removed.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a wire-drawing machine embodying another form of the present invention, part of the lower casing being broken away to show the gearing between the capstan mechanism andthe traversing pulley mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the embodiment of the present invention shown therein includes a metal base broadly designated by the numeral l0, having sides I I and a top or table H. A casing l3. having the form of a rectangular box, is supported on the table l2, said casing enclosing and supporting the dies and capstans used in drawing a wire it. The casing l3 has a front opening which is closed over by a plate l5 secured by screws to a flange IS on the casing. The back wall of the casing l3 carries a plurality of bosses H which journal horizontal shafts I8. These shafts carry capstans 19, Ha, I91), I90, 20, 20a, 20b and 200, and extend through the back of the casing l3 and carry bevel gears which mesh with similar gears 2| carried on vertical shafts 22 and 23 journaled in arms 24 offset from the casing I9. Bevel gears are carried by the shafts 22' and 23, and said gears respectively engage bevel gears 26 mounted on opposite ends of a shaft 21 which is journaled in bearing brackets 28' supported on the table I2.

All of thecapstans are, therefore, geared togather, and in such a manner that the capstans I 9, I9a, I9b and |9c all turn in the same direction, as do the capstans 20, 20a, 20b and 290, the direction of turning of the first group of capstans being opposite to the direction of turning of the second group.

The shaft 22 extends through and below the table I2 and carries at its lower end a bevel gear 29 which meshes with another bevel gear 30 carried by a shaft 3| journaled in a depending arm 32 and a boss 33, said latter shaft supplying power to the wire-drawing machine.

A die-carrying member 34 of T-s haped crosssectionis carried by the back wall of the casing I3 so as to be disposed vertically intermediate the capstans of the casing, and said member carries dies 35 through which the wire is drawn by the capstans, each succeeding die drawing the wire 3 I4 to a smaller size, and the lower and final die 35 of the casing I3 bringing the wire down to a size slightly larger than that to which it is desired ultimately to reduce the wire. The wire I4 to be reduced enters the casing at 36, passes over the first capstan 20, through the first die 35 where it is reduced in size, over the second capstan I9, through the second die 35 where it is again reduced, and so on over the capstans and ,dies until it passes over the last capstan I90, and out of the casing at 31. After the wire I4, now being reduced in size, emerges from the casing I3, it passes to a spooling mechanism for winding the wire on a bobbin, for use. As here shown, these parts include a spool 38 carried by a shaft 39 journaled in bearing brackets 40 and 4| carried by the table I2. The shaft 39 carries a bevel gear 42 which engages the bevel gear 25 of the shaft 23, the gear 42 driving the shaft 39 through a friction clutch mechanism 43. The bearing bracket 4| ispivotally mounted on ears 4Ia upstanding from the table I2, and said bracket carries a bushing 44, held in place by a wing-nut 44' which screws on the end of the shaft 39, and forming a bearing within the bracket. When it is desired to remove the spool 39 from the shaft 39, the bushing 44 is withdrawn from said shaft, whereupon the pivoted bracket 4| may be swung to the right and downwardly and the spool readily slipped off.

The table I2 has aslot 45 provided therein which carries a slide 46 having a standard 41 upon which is mounted a pulley 48, the slot being long enough to have the pulley 48 traverse the spool 36 during movements of the slide. The slide 46 has an extension 49 which engages a crisscross screw 59 carried by a shaft 5| journaled in a boss 52 and a depending arm 53, said shaft having a worm gear 54 fixed thereon and driven by a worm 55 carried by the lower end of the shaft 23, which latter extends through and below the table I2. Thus the criss-cross screw is caused to turn simultaneously with the capstans in the casing I3.

The wire I4, in its travel toward emergence from the casing I3 at 31, finally passes over the :last capstan I90 within the casing. after having been reduced by the last die 35 therein, and in so passing over the capstan a slippage occurs between the wire and said capstan. As a result of this slippage, the polish imparted to the wire is seriously marred, and also the wire is further deformed and altered so that it does not have the true shape and finish which it had after leaving the die. In addition, before passing to effect removal of all the imperfections in the wire due to handling thereof, and also acting to impart a final polish and finish to the wire coincidental with the reduction of the wire to ts predetermined ultimate diameter. The die 56 is carried by a mount 51 on the slide 46, and the wire I4 immediately after. passing through said die is reduced to its final diameter and polished, and then wound on the spool. The thus wound wire, therefore, will be uniform in all respects and of exceptionally high quality. By the die 56, all of the imperfections of the wire are positively removed immediately before spooling, and with assurance that no imperfections will be sufiered during spooling.

I have found that the die 56 may be so chosen as to reduce the wire I4 passing therethrough only an extremely small amount, yet to remove imperfections and effectively to clean the wire from foreign matter, and so without causing any difficulty in spooling the wire. In addition, the action of the die 56 on the wire is such that there is not required any lubrication for the process, and the wire in emerging from said die will therefore be further thoroughly free of all traces of the lubricant used in conjunction with the usual dies and capstans of a wire-drawing machine.

Referring to the embodiment. of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a casing |3a is supported on a base IIIa having side walls Na and a top or table I 2a. A wire I4a enters the casing at 36a, and emerges therefrom at 31a after having been drawn to a smaller diameter by passing over capstans and through dies as in the machine of Figures 1 and 2.

The capstans in the casing I 3a are carried by horizontal shafts driven as in Figures 1 and 2 from vertical shafts 2|! and 22a, these vertical shafts in turn driven by level gears including .those marked 26a on a shaft 21a carried by the table I2a. e

The, spooling mechanism of the embodiment now being described includes a bobbin 38a carried by a shaft 39a journaled in bearing brackets 49a, 40b and 4 lb, and said shaft is driven through a clutch mechanism 43a by means of sprocket chain 58 passing over sprockets 51 and 59; the sprocket 59 being driven, by way of bevel gears 60, 6| and 42a, from the shaft 22a. The spool 38a is traversed by a pulley 48a carried by a slide 46a movable along a slot 45a of the table In.

The slide 46a is moved back and forth along slot 45a by engagement of a follower or shoe on depending extension 49a of the slide with a crisscross screw 50a carried by a shaft 5| a carrying also a worm gear 54a engaging a worm a on a shaft 5Ib driven by bevel gears from the shaft 22a extended down through the table I2a.

The wire I la, after emerging'from the casing at 36a, passes over a pulley 62 mounted on an ear 63 offset from said casing, and thence travels upwardly and over a pulley 64 carried by standard 65 mounted on the casing by bolts 66. After leaving the pulley 64, the wire passes downwardly and under the traversing pulley 48a to the bobbin 38a.

While passing over the last capstan within the casing Ba, and in passing over the pulleys '62, 64 and 48a, the wire loses polish and is bent and altered in form and is variously marred so that it is considerably different from the product emerging from the last die of the casing.

Such difficulties, also, are overcome by the embodiment of the invention now being described; the same including intermediate the traversing pulley 48a and the bobbin 38a, a final drawing and polishing die 56a, through which the wire Ha is passed before being reeled on the bobbin. Such die, reducing the diameter of the wire to that predetermined for it finally, draws out all of the bends, irregularities and other imperfections which the wire has suffered, and also imparts thereto a high polish or finish.

As shown, this die 56a is on a U-shaped rocker member 61 pivotally mounted at 68 on the slide 46a to allow the die always to be in proper alignment with the wire passing therethrough regardless of directional changes in the feeding of the wire as more and more wire is wound on the bobbin. Preferably the line of pivoting of the member 61 passes through the periphery of the pulley 48a, so that, regardless of the amount of wire on the bobbin 38a, the die 56a will always be correctly aligned with the wire passing therethrough. For the purpose of preventing unequal lateral pressure by the die on wire passing therethrough, the member '61 is counterbalanced at 69, to permit easy rocking of said member so that the die may readily follow the wire as the layers on the bobbin build up.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In wire drawing, the method of treating wire which after drawing is to be spooled on a bobbin for use, which involves drawing the wire, guiding the wire to traverse the bobbin for winding on the same, and passing the thus guided wire through a die while said wire is on its way to the bobbin so as to effect a further drawing and polishing of the wire whereby all the flaws, marks, and other imperfections of said wire are removed directly before the wire is wound on the bobbin.

2. In a spooling mechanism for the drawn wire of a wire-drawing machine, the combination of a bobbin; a traversing pulley therefor; reciprocatively movable means for carrying said pulley; and a die carried by said means and interposed between the bobbin and the traversing pulley through which die the wire is passed to be further reduced and polished directly before being wound on the spool.

3. In a spooling mechanism for the drawn Wire of a wire-drawing machine, the combination of a bobbin; means for guiding the wire from the machine to the bobbin, said guiding means and said bobbin being relatively movable for winding the wire spirally on the bobbin; and a die fixedly attached to the guiding means and interposed between said guiding means andthe bobbin and through which the wire passes to be further reduced and polished directly before being wound on the bobbin.

4. In a spooling mechanism for the drawn wire of a wire-drawing machine, the combination of a bobbin; a traversing pulley therefor; means for traversing said pulley; a die interposed between the bobbin and the pulley, through which die the wire is passed to be further reduced and polished directly before being wound on the spool; and means mounting the die for arcuate movement on the traversing means so that said die at all times will be aligned with the wire passing from the pulley to the bobbin.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, in which the mounting means for the die includes a member pivoted about an axis which passes substantially through the periphery of the pulley in order that the die will be accurately aligned with the wire coming from the pulley and passing therethrough to the bobbin.

6. In a spooling mechanism for the drawn wire of a Wire-drawing machine, the combination of a bobbin; means for rotatably mounting the bobbin with its axis substantially parallel to the direction of the emergence of the wire from the wire-drawing machine; means for guiding the wire from the machine to the bobbin; means for reciprocatively moving said last-named means in a path coinciding with the direction of emergence of the wire from the wire-drawing machine for causing the wire to be wound on the bobbin in even layers; and a die fixedly attached to said last-named means and interposed between said guiding means and the bobbin and through which the wire passes to be further reduced and polished directly before being wound on the bobbin.

'7. In a spooling mechanism for the drawn wire of a wire-drawing machine, the combination of a bobbin; a traversing pulley therefor; reciprocatively movable means carrying said pulley; a die carried by said means and interposed between the bobbin and the traversing pulley. through which die the wire is passed to be further reduced and polished directly before being wound on the spool; means for turning the bobbin; and means for reciprocating the die and pulley carrying means simultaneously with turning of the bobbin.

EDWARD H. HARRIS. 

